"School boards provide a learning environment conducive to teaching and learning."
The assumptions made regarding Goal 4 have been summarized and divided into five categories outlined below.
Provides for adequate and equitable funding of free public schools while giving maximum flexibility to school districts regarding the use of funds.
Allocate funds to schools to provide an appropriate learning environment for all students.
Provide adequate facilities, educational materials, equipment, teachers, and staff.
Have maximum flexibility in using funds and designing school programs.
Create a school climate that encourages the capabilities and emphasizes the worth of all individuals.
The goal of sequential instruction is met through the student performance standards and outcomes as stated in Goal 3, and the goal statement was intended to be inclusive of all subject matter.
The school climate reflects the traditions, cultures, and behaviors of all stakeholders.
Quality schools do not exist in isolation from the rest of the community, and all stakeholders must be involved to bring about the success of the school.
Exhibit high expectations for achievement and behavior.
Demonstrate genuine interest in the welfare and achievements of one another; accomplishments are recognized and celebrated.
Have opportunities to be involved in meaningful decision making.
"Schools provide a learning environment that enables students, teachers, and staff to successfully meet the standards and outcomes identified by the Commission."
The outcomes for Standard 1 have been summarized below.
Exhibit a positive self-concept and demonstrate high expectations for behavior and achievement.
Demonstrate that they view their accomplishments as appropriately recognized and celebrated.
Demonstrate that they feel welcome, secure, and positive about the student's school environment and experiences.
View their participation as important as evidenced by their average daily attendance and participation.
Receive adequate resources and flexibility and demonstrate that their pupil/teacher ration is appropriate and will result in high quality teaching and learning.
Receive adequate resources and maximum flexibility and demonstrate that they provide facilities, materials, equipment, technology, and programs that will ensure high quality teaching and learning.
Demonstrate that parents and other stakeholders are involved in classroom activities and participate in school programs.
Community and Adult Education practitioners will find 10 strategies for helping schools and school advisory councils accomplish Goal 4 in the section below. Each strategy is followed by suggested steps for implementing the strategy.
Plan and implement a project to help students, teachers, and staff assess their: 1) self concepts, 2) expectations, 3) views of accomplishments, and 4) participation in decision making.
Design a project that would involve elementary school, middle school, high school, and university doctoral students in a cooperative learning experience. Plan to involve all concerned in the design of the project, elementary and secondary school students in data collection at school sites, university students in data analysis, and all in reporting results.
Develop a collaborative initiative by identifying a key university contact and introducing the project. Use Blueprint 2000 materials to demonstrate the timeliness and need for the project. Determine where you are most likely to get support for the project. Ultimately you must find a partner at the university.
Continue your effort to build a collaborative initiative by finding elementary school, middle school, and high school principals and/or a school advisory council chairperson willing to support the project.
Coordinate meetings between the university and public school personnel to develop a project design and implementation plan.
Promote and publicize the project once there is agreement on the design, implementation plan, and timeline for completion. Emphasize the coordination role played by Community and Adult Education personnel, but highlight the role of the key players that are involved in the project.
Coordinate the implementation of the project on behalf of the university and public school personnel to minimize administrative problems.
Celebrate the completion of the project by hosting a special event such as a press conference, recognition luncheon, or workshop presentation.
Utilize lab fees collected from noncredit class participants to help schools purchase equipment that will enhance their teaching and learning environments.
Work to include the phrase "enhancing the teaching and learning environment in schools" in the mission statement and goals and objectives of the Community and Adult Education Program.
Develop guidelines for utilizing fees generated in instructional facilities such as computer labs, graphic arts studios, and auditoriums to enhance the facilities.
Meet with the school principal and school advisory council chairperson to discuss the need for maximum use of the school facility. Illustrate how lab fees collected from Community and Adult Education class participants can be used to enhance the facility for all learners.
Charge Community and Adult Education class participants reasonable lab fees for costs such as consumable supplies and materials and increased wear on specialty equipment.
Use lab fees to purchase new equipment, make upgrades on existing equipment, and/or replenish supplies and materials.
Prepare a report for the school board, school faculty, and school advisory council members to clearly illustrate all of the enhancements that were made to the teaching and learning environment using lab fee funds.
Prepare a story for release to the news media that describes all of the enhancements that were made in the school district as a result of the Community and Adult Education program.
Coordinate outreach efforts that seek input and involve stakeholders in school activities, programs, or services.
Work with school principals and school advisory council chairpersons to organize and initiate the canvassing of specific neighborhoods in order to gather information that the school advisory council can use to make more informed decisions.
Help school department chairpersons form and manage focus groups comprised of stakeholders to gather input that is needed for school-based decision-making to be effective.
Assist principals, advisory council chairpersons, teacher, and staff with the management of "town meetings" that provide stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the school decision-making processes.
Form an African American Male Task Force comprised of adults and students to identify issues and concerns specific to African American male students.
Plan and coordinate inservice training opportunities for school advisory council officers and members.
Form neighborhood "coffee klatsches" to conduct mini-workshops for parents who are interested in learning more about school curriculum, special events, or critical issues.
Coordinate a volunteer "taxi" service to transport parents who do not have transportation to school meetings.
Coordinate inservice training opportunities for teachers and staff that related specifically to Florida's Blueprint 2000, school improvement plans, and the need to develop collaborative relationships with agencies and organizations outside the traditional school environment.
Develop a "How to Identify and Use Community Resources" training component to include in district-wide inservice training for instructional staff.
Meet with principals and school advisory council chairpersons and encourage them to offer inservice training that would help administrators, teachers, and staff look "outside the school" rather than "inside the school" when developing school improvement efforts.
Assist principals and/or school advisory council chairpersons with planning and implementing inservice training opportunities that help teachers and staff develop a better awareness of the community-based resources that are available to assist them with their school improvement efforts.
Develop a computer network or bulletin board to link administrators, teachers, and staff who are seeking innovative ways to improve their instructional process with teachers and staff who have been recognized for successful school improvement initiatives.
Arrange an "Innovative Ideas Exchange Day" for principals, teachers, and staff from neighboring schools or school districts. Solicit business sponsors to provide transportation, a centralized meeting facility, and food for the event.
Serve as an unpaid instructor for a free Community Education inservice workshop or Florida's Blueprint 2000 and the local school improvement process.
Manage an after-school enrichment program for middle school students in partnership with students and parents.
Meet with principals and school advisory council chairpersons to identify the middle schools where there is an interest in offering after-school enrichment activities in partnership with the PTO).
Conduct a needs assessment with students and parents of the middle schools interested in the enrichment program to determine after-school programming priorities.
Form a committee of middle school students to review the needs assessment data and plan activities in response to the needs identified.
Use middle school students to develop rules of conduct, disciplinary procedures, and a "court system" to respond to incidences of misbehavior.
Meet with PTO leaders to propose a partnership program that would involve the PTO in the planning and management of the after-school enrichment program.
Utilize PTO volunteers to register students, deposit fees in the PTO account, and pay the enrichment program instructors.
Use Community and Adult Education personnel to assist with scheduling activities and recruiting instructors.
Develop a program in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce where teachers exchange their jobs for a day with business persons who are also parents of school-age youth.
Work with school administrators and district union officials to plan days where a selected number of parents and teachers could exchange their jobs.
Meet with Chamber of Commerce officials to "sell" the program and coordinate the recruitment of business-owner volunteers.
Prepare promotional materials for teachers and business-owners that explain the purpose and anticipated benefits of the program.
Recruit teachers and business-owners willing to participate in an exchange program.
Match teacher and business-owners upon their respective preferences, interests, education, skills, and experiences.
Host a special recognition breakfast that would provide teachers and business-owners an opportunity to share their exchange-day experiences, especially as they relate to what they learned about each other's jobs.
Publicize the exchange-day program in the newspaper, on the radio, and on television before and after each of the days.
Coordinate a "Celebrate Your Successes" potluck dinner for each of the schools in your school district.
Review school improvement plans and visit school sites to discover creative or innovative ideas that enhanced the teaching and learning environment.
Develop a "Celebrate Your Successes" proposal and promotional packet that shows how students, parents, teachers, businesses, and agency representatives can be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a program to celebrate successes realized from implementing innovative school improvement plans.
Select an elementary, middle, and high school where successful innovations have occurred, and if possible, where a significant number of students matriculate from one school to the next.
Meet with principals and school advisory council chairs to gain approval for the "Celebrate Your Successes" program.
Recruit committee members representing all stakeholders to serve on a "Celebrate Your Successes" committee. Build the committee with representation from each school site to be involved in the celebration.
Work with the committee to plan, implement, and evaluate a program that recognizes the accomplishments of students, teachers, and staff.
Work with social studies teachers in your school to coordinate a "Tell It Like It Was, Tell It Like It Is" activity day. Parents who had attended the school when they were young share their most positive experiences with a social studies class. In return, social studies students share their most positive school experiences with the visiting parents.
Meet with the social studies department chair to promote the activity by explaining how it can help parents feel welcome in the school, and help teachers and students develop a sense of tradition and positive feeling about the school environment.
Recruit social studies teachers who are interested in the idea and willing to help develop students' interest and an appropriate format for the "Tell It Like It Was, Tell It Like It Is" sharing sessions.
Promote the activity by preparing a flier to distribute to social studies students and their parents, writing an article for publication in the school newsletter, and creating a display of school pictures from the past and present.
Videotape the "Tell It Like It Was, Tell It Like It Is" sharing sessions and edit the footage into a three-minute documentary to enhance the school's image.
Show the videotape at the school advisory council meeting to help develop a positive image of the school plan and culture for advisory council members.
Arrange a time for the videotape to be seen by all members of the school staff.
Develop an "Information Superhighway" resource center in one of your local schools.
Seek and participate in training that will develop your personal computer knowledge, skill, and ability so that you understand and are able to use software/services such as Prodigy or America Online to access the "information superhighway."
Find a local school media center specialist who has access to the computer hardware needed to link into the "information superhighway" and is interested in bringing information that is available from worldwide databases into the school center. Propose a collaborative effort where you offer to provide technical assistance and resources for a one-year pilot project. In return, the media specialist agrees to manage a "resource center" for the information that will become available.
Recruit a church, agency, or business partner to provide financial support for a one-year pilot project that would link the school center to the "information superhighway."
Work with a media specialist to link into the "information superhighway," explore the resources and services that are available, and devise a simple cataloging system for information that is retrieved.
Produce an information flier that informs administrators, teachers, students, parents, and staff of the information that is available through the "Information Superhighway resource center."
Monitor and seek feedback regarding the use of the center to enhance its use, and report results of the pilot project to all of the stakeholders that were involved in its implementation.
Utilize student focus groups to determine ways that high expectations for behavior and achievement can be fostered in school centers.
Participate in an inservice training workshop regarding the use of focus groups.
Work with your school advisory council or selected school personnel to promote the use of focus groups as an appropriate way for principals, teachers, and advisory council members to involve students in the decision-making process.
Coordinate the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a project to use student focus groups district-wide or within selected school sites.
Work with school advisory council leaders and student council leaders to plan and implement the focus groups for participating schools using a variety of community-based sites.
Analyze the information gathered during the focus group sessions, prepare a summary report, and present the results during school advisory council meetings, student council meetings, and teacher meetings, as well as to the school board.
Share the successes and failures encountered during the implementation of the project with Community and Adult Education practitioners from various parts of the state at the annual ACE of Florida Inc. conference.